Samsung Bioepis' European Whitepaper Proposes Solutions to Bridge Policy Gaps that Hinder Healthy Market Competition and Timely Access to Biosimilar Medicines

Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd. today published a whitepaper titled ‘Solving the Biosimilar Void in Europe’ that proposes policy recommendations to fully recognize the value of biosimilars and ensure a more sustainable market in Europe.

Biosimilars have played a significant role in alleviating the financial burden on the European healthcare system, having delivered €56 billion in cumulative cost savings across Europe over the past 11 years (2013-2024).¹ However, the current policy environment in Europe, particularly the post-launch pathways, is misaligned to incentivize biosimilar competition. With post-marketing challenges, on top of high development costs, many biologics will not face biosimilar competition at the point of loss of exclusivity (LoE) within the next decade.

The whitepaper proposes several measures to improve current practices that hinder healthy market competition and timely access to biosimilar medicines:

• Health Technology Assessment (HTA) needs to be tailored for biosimilars: With its origin in innovative medicine, HTA is a multidisciplinary process that evaluates the medical, social, economic, and ethical implications of health technologies. Some countries often have oversimplified HTA requirements for biosimilars, where reimbursement decisions are solely based on price comparisons and do not take into account biosimilars’ additional benefits or where the reference biologic is not reimbursed. In many cases, HTA is relevant, but with limited guidance to properly assess the biosimilar’s value. HTA can be more streamlined and tailored to speed up the entry of biosimilars to the market.
• In some countries, pricing and reimbursement (P&R) policies focus on achieving the lowest possible prices through mechanisms such as price linkage and reference pricing, thereby accelerating price erosion: Out of 28 European countries, 12 countries use external reference pricing methods and 17 countries mandate arbitrary discounts on biosimilar prices at an average of 28% below reference product.² Already set at significantly lower levels, biosimilar prices are driven further downward as competition begins, often leading to price erosion that drives players out of the market. Instead of arbitrary price-controls, free pricing will allow price discounts to be achieved naturally through free competition.
• Tenders often favor a single-winner system and tend to overlook broader qualitative factors such as supply stability and quality assurance: National, regional, and local tenders should support supply diversification and fair competition through multi-winner systems, with greater transparency in communication and more periodic tender reopenings so that late entrants are also given opportunities to participate. Security and stability of supply should be given higher priority in tenders to enhance demand predictability and incentivize manufacturers to secure more robust supply chains.
• Biosimilar uptake cannot be achieved without the support of physicians and pharmacists who prescribe and dispense these medicines: Incentives extended to healthcare professionals to encourage the prescribing and dispensing of biosimilars vary significantly across European countries. In some countries, prescriber incentives are misaligned, discouraging the use of biosimilar medicines. Incentive programs should be based on shared decision-making between physicians and patients, rather than automatic switching. Gainsharing can be introduced to stimulate biosimilar uptake while preserving competition and autonomy. Education programs for physicians, pharmacists, and patients should be continued to support wider use of biosimilars.

“Biosimilars are not one-size-fits-all, and establishing a sustainable framework for biosimilars requires a nuanced understanding of their heterogeneous applications across clinical settings. It is vital to tailor key solutions that address the unique challenges faced by different product types, prescribing patterns, and patient and disease characteristics. It is also important to consider the future viability of the market when reshaping policies, as the market needs clear signals of long-term sustainability to encourage continued investments in the biosimilar pipeline,” said Adam Levysohn, Vice President and Head of Commercial Strategy Europe, at Samsung Bioepis. “It is important for healthcare systems to recognize that biosimilars are not merely a cost-saving tool for organizations. Policies should take a patient-centric approach, positioning biosimilars as part of the solution to expand access, improve patient outcomes, ensure supply continuity, and strengthen system resilience.”

Samsung Bioepis is a biopharmaceutical company that develops and manufactures high-quality biosimilars to accelerate patient access to biologic medicines. As a world leader in biosimilars, Samsung Bioepis has a broad pipeline of biosimilar candidates that cover a spectrum of therapeutic areas, including immunology, oncology, ophthalmology, hematology, nephrology, and endocrinology. Of the 11 biosimilars approved worldwide, eight products are available across Europe.

To access the report Solving the Biosimilar Void in Europe, please visit HERE.

About Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd.

Established in 2012, Samsung Bioepis is a biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing healthcare that is accessible to everyone. Through innovations in product development and a firm commitment to quality, Samsung Bioepis aims to become the world's leading biopharmaceutical company. Samsung Bioepis continues to advance a broad pipeline of biosimilar candidates that cover a spectrum of therapeutic areas, including immunology, oncology, ophthalmology, hematology, nephrology, and endocrinology. For more information, please visit: www.samsungbioepis.com and follow us on social media – LinkedIn, X.

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1 IQVIA. The Impact of Biosimilar Competition in Europe. January 2025. Available at: https://www.iqvia.com/-/media/iqvia/pdfs/library/white-papers/the-impact-of-biosimilar-competition-in-europe-2024.pdf

2 Medicines for Europe. The 2023 Market Review – European Biosimilar Medicine Markets – Policy Overview. September 2023. Available at: https://www.medicinesforeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Biosimilars-Market-Review-2023-final-06-09-2023.pdf

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